As usual our puja.net priests did an excellent job providing all the traditional yagya ingredients many of which are too expensive for these smaller temples to afford on a regular basis. So, our temple yagyas are as much a blessing to the temple and the local villagers as are they for us as sponsors. Certainly the local priest regards our support as a great service!
One of the advantages of performing yagyas in India is that we have access to (and can afford) spectacular malas to decorate the temple deities. In this photo you see the variety of malas that we bring made of beautiful carnations and fragrant jasmine. The longer malas are about 10-12 feet in length.
On the right side of the photo you can see 20 small plastic 1 quart bags of milk.
In Tamil Nadu, the murti is carved from a dark green granite which turn a deep black from the sesame oil that is poured over it during the abishekam. In this photo you see the priest pouring milk.
The white powder is called vibhuti which is a perfumed ash made from the remains of a special yagya fire.
After the abishekam, the murti is dressed in a fresh silk dhoti, his face is coated in sandalwood paste and kumkum (the red powder), and surrounded with the fresh flower malas.
Of course, we couldn't ignore Ganesha! He also received the abishekam bath, fresh dhoti and malas along with all the pujas.
